UFC 217: Three Title Matches, Three UFC Betting Faves

The 217th UFC betting event will feature the vaunted triple-championship-main-event, the like of which has not been seen since UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2. On this occasion, Mike Bisping, Cody Garbrandt, and Joanna Jędrzejczyk will defend their respective titles against Georges St-Pierre, TJ Dillashaw, and Rose Namajunas, respectively. Bisping will be making his second championship defense while St. Pierre will be making his long-awaited return to the exciting world of beating people up.

UFC 217: Bisping vs. St-Pierre

Promotion: Ultimate Fighting Championship

Date: November 4, 2017

Venue: Madison Square Garden

City: New York City, New York

UFC Middleweight Championship Match

Michael Bisping 4½ (-135) +105

Georges St. Pierre 4½ (+115) -125

Bisping has won his last five straight fights, three of which have gone to five rounds, including his first title defense, an unanimous decision win over Dan Henderson at UFC 2004 on 8 October 2016 in Manchester, England – meaning he hasn’t fought in more than a year. Which is, of course, nothing compared to the four years GSP has been away from MMA, in spite of which he’s the favourite of people who bet on UFC. St. Pierre went to five rounds in eight of his last nine fights, and hasn’t lost in 20 years, when he succumbed to the now retired Matt Serra via TKO. GSP is aiming become the fourth fighter to win championships in different weight classes in the UFC.

UFC Bantamweight Championship Match UFC betting preview

TJ Dillashaw 3½ (-165) +135

Cody Garbrandt 3½ (+145) -155

Dillashaw will be looking to regain, from Garbrandt, the belt that he, TJ, lost to Dominick Cruz on January 17, 2016 in Boston, and, while he’s at it, snap Cody’s 11-fight undefeated winning streak. Dillashaw is coming off back-to-back UD wins over Raphael Assunção and John Lineker that both went to three rounds.

Garbrandt beat Cruz for the title at UFC 207 on December 30, 2016 in Las Vegas by unanimous decision, the first time in his career that Cody has danced the full five rounds, having TKO’d his three previous opponents, Takeya Mizugaki, Thomas Almeida, and Augusto Mendes, in the first round.

UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship Match UFC betting preview

Rose Namajunas 3½ (-175) +315

Joanna Jedrzejczyk 3½ (+155) -380

Namajunas has won four of her last five bouts, including a rear-naked choke submission win over Michelle Waterson in the second round at UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis on April 15th in Kansas City. Namajunas is quite the submission artist, having made five of her nine opponents tap out.

JJ is unbeaten in 14 career fights, including eight in the UFC, which in turn include six straight title matches, and five consecutive successful title defenses, the last four of which have gone to five rounds – all unanimous decisions over Valérie Létourneau, Cláudia Gadelha, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, and Jéssica Andrade. Ever since her promotional, which was also her divisional, debut, Jedrzejczyk has been involved in the championship picture; in addition to the aforementioned matches, her UFC debut was a UFC Women’s Strawweight title eliminator.